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Mar 24 2010
Employee Benefits

Alert: Congress passes major health reform legislation

HR 3590), a landmark health reform bill, which will now move to the President’s desk for signature. At the same time, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (  Heath benefit exchange: Health benefit exchanges will be established through which individuals and small businesses with up to 100 employees can purchase coverage….

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Mar 22 2010
Hiring

HIRE Act gives tax breaks for hiring unemployed workers

President Obama has signed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, which provides immediate payroll tax relief for employers who hire certain unemployed workers, and rewards employers with a tax credit after the workers have been on the job for a year. Unfortunately, the new law contains a major exclusion. It doesn’t apply to…

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Mar 19 2010
Employee Benefits

IRS mailing 401(k) questionnaires

Did you receive a 401(k) plan questionnaire from the IRS recently? If so, you’re now a part of a new IRS compliance initiative to determine the extent to which employers are complying with 401(k) rules, correcting errors and utilizing IRS compliance tools. The questionnaires were sent out to a random selection of employers, beginning in…

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Mar 17 2010
Oregon

OREGON: Federal court shoots down state arbitration law

Bettencourt v. Brookdale Senior Living Communities, Inc., D Or, Jan. 2010). 1310) if you have questions or call your Vigilant staff representative.

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Mar 15 2010
California

CALIFORNIA: New leave for members of civil air patrol

CaliforniaAB 485, 2009 Cal Stat Ch 242). For more information about this new leave law, call your Vigilant staff representative.

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Mar 12 2010
Wage and Hour

Daylight Saving Time begins March 14

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 14 at 2 a.m., when we set our clocks forward one hour to 3 a.m. Employees who normally work an eight-hour shift at night may work seven hours on March 14 at regular wage (e.g., from 10 p.m. Standard Time to 6 a.m. Daylight Saving Time). You may voluntarily…

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Mar 10 2010
Uncategorized

EEOC issues religious accommodation guidance

How would you handle a situation in which a male Muslim employee refused, on religious grounds, to shake hands with women? A recently released informal discussion letter from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) addresses exactly that situation and gives employers guidance on their religious accommodation obligations (EEOC Informal Discussion Letter, 1147) or contact…

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Mar 08 2010
Oregon

OREGON: New OFLA rules published

1183). 6267) to assist you.• To clarify or authenticate a medical certification, the only person who may contact the health care provider is a health care provider representing the employer (doesn’t incorporate new FMLA rules allowing others to make this contact).• When a medical certification is in a language other than English, you may request, but not…

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Mar 05 2010
Employee Benefits

COBRA subsidy extended (again!)

HR 4691) (TEA), extending the COBRA subsidy, yet again. The TEA extends eligibility for the subsidy to involuntary terminations occurring through March 31, 2010, and redefines “assistance eligible individuals” (AEIs) to include COBRA qualified beneficiaries that experience a reduction in hours on or after September 1, 2008, followed by an involuntary termination that occurs on…

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Mar 03 2010
Employee Benefits

Medicaid/CHIP premium assistance resources: new notice available

model notice for employers to use in notifying employees about group health plan premium assistance available under state Medicaid programs or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as required by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. Employers must give the notice to all employees, regardless of whether they are enrolled in the…

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Mar 01 2010
Uncategorized

Spotlight on Safety: Learn to embrace incident investigation

Investigating Accidents class, which teaches how to identify real accident causes, and develop action-oriented prevention methods in a quick and timely fashion.

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Feb 26 2010
Employee Benefits

New tax self-reporting obligation for health plans

Under recently finalized IRS regulations, employers who maintain ERISA-covered group health plans must self-report excise taxes that are owed to the IRS due to failure to comply with laws such as COBRA, HIPAA, and other federal laws affecting group health plans (

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